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William Bickel Senior Research Associate School of Education University of Pittsburgh 5710 Wesley W. Posvar Hall Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA Email: bickel@pitt.edu |
- University of Pittsburgh (PhD in Foundations of Education, 1974)
- University of Pittsburgh (MAT in Elementary Education, 1971)
- Oberlin College (BA in U.S. History, 1967)
Areas of Expertise
- Evaluation Research and Methodology
- Educational Policy Studies
- Educational Reform & History
Professional Biography
Dr. Bickel currently is a Professor of Administrative Policy Studies in the School of Education and a Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh. He is past director of an institutional evaluation partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and the Lilly Endowment. Professor Bickel was Executive Administrator and Evaluation Director for a National Science Foundation sponsored partnership between the American Federation of Teachers and LRDC, The Thinking Mathematics Project. He has been a consultant to a number of foundations (e.g., the California Endowment, the Robert Wood Johnson, Kellogg Foundation, Packard Foundations, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Wallace Funds) on matters concerning the effective use of evaluation-related processes to support educational reform and organizational learning. Audiences for Dr. Bickel's work include educational and non-profit practitioners and policy makers, organizational leaders in philanthropy, and the evaluation community.
Research Interests & Current Projects
Dr. Bickel’s research interests include evaluation methodology and research on evaluation utilization in various organizational and policy contexts, and urban educational reform policy and implementation studies. His evaluation work emphasizes the investigation of how evaluation in educational systems and related organizational and policy settings can contribute to improved practice. This question is addressed, in part, by conducting evaluation studies for policy and decision makers and those that would influence them in a variety of reform and community settings. Recent work has emphasized investigations of the role evaluation plays in private foundations in the United States. He has two recently co-authored chapters in a book on evaluation in foundations sponsored in part by the Packard Foundation. Other works of interest include a book entitled “Decision-oriented Educational Research” written with William Cooley based upon a series of case studies of educational reform in Pittsburgh; and several chapters on implications of the research on “effective schools.” Dr. Bickel currently directs an Evaluation Coordination Project that provides a variety of strategic planning and evaluation services to local and national organizations.
Courses Taught
- ADMPS 3097 – Supervised Research
- ADMPS 3201 – Introduction to Educational Evaluation
- ADMPS 3300 – Proseminar Social & Comparative Analysis
- ADMPS 3347 – International Organizations & Development Education
- PSYED 3450 – Introduction to Educational Evaluation
Selected Publications
Strichman, Nancy; Bickel, William E.; Marshood, Fathi. (2007). User Guide to Evaluation. Haifa, Israel: Shatil The New Israel Fund's Empowerment and Training Center for Social Change Organizations in Israel.
Bickel, William E.; & Beaujean, A. (2005). Effective Schools for All: A Brief History and Some Common Findings. In C. Frisby and C. Reynolds (Eds.), Comprehensive Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Press.
Iriti, J.; & Bickel, William E. (2005). Strengthening School-Based Leadership: Issues and Prospects in National Relief. Pittsburgh: A+ Schools.
Leviton, L; & Bickel, William E. (2004). Integrating Evaluation into Foundation Activity Cycles, In M. Braverman; J. K. Slater; & N. Constantine (Eds.), Foundations & Evaluation: Contexts & Practices for Effective Philanthropy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bickel, William E.; & Kramer, M. (2004). In Braverman, M.; Slater, J. K.; Constantine, N. (Eds.), Foundations & Evaluation: Contexts & Practices for Effective Philanthropy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Nelson, C. A.; Post, J.; Bickel, W. E. (2002). Evaluating Educational Technology Implementation: A Two-Part Framework for Assessing the Institutionalization of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. In T. Kellaghan, D. Stufflebeam, & L. Wingate (Eds.), The International Handbook of Evaluation. Boston: Kluwer Press.
Schramm, R.; Bickel, William E.; McNelis, R.; Pine, C. (2001). School – University Collaboration: The National Humanities Center's Secondary School Faculty Development Project. In M Handler & R. Ravid (Eds.), The Many Faces of School/University Collaboration. Englewood, CO: Teacher Ideas Press, Libraries Unlimited Publishing.
Cooley, William W.; & Bickel, William E. (1986). Decision-Oriented Educational Research. Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff. Publishing.
